CN relocates Chicago forest products reload center to Port of Chicago

Canadian National (CN) has relocated its forest products transload operation to North America Stevedoring Company, LLC's operation at the Port of Chicago to improve supply chain efficiencies for lumber customers.

The new transload facility is located roughly 13 miles south of downtown Chicago at 9301 South Kreiter Ave. North America Stevedoring receives direct rail service from CN's nearby Kirk Yard in Gary, Ind., with trucks accessing the terminal from Interstate 90. It is larger than the one it replaces and features more than 200,000 square feet of indoor storage, as well as outdoor space. CN is completing a $141-million rehabilitation and facilities addition project at Kirk Yard.

Jean-Jacques Ruest, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of CN, said, "With the integration of the major portion of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway into CN, we have a unique opportunity to avoid Chicago rail congestion by relocating our forest products reload facility to a site near Kirk Yard. This will deliver better, more cost-effective supply service to our customers. Served daily by CN, the new transload operation is closer to both western Canadian lumber mills, as well as Chicago-area markets receiving lumber via CN. This improves transit times and inventory management for our customers, underscoring CN's commitment to deliver innovative gains in supply chain efficiencies."